


The Ring Of Fire

by springsteenicious



Category: That '70s Show
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Love Confessions, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26374849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/springsteenicious/pseuds/springsteenicious
Summary: Love burns. Hyde is falling fast and getting scorched.
Relationships: Jackie Burkhart/Steven Hyde
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	The Ring Of Fire

Hyde and Jackie were making out on the couch in the basement. Hyde was on top of Jackie, his hands buried in her hair. She slid her hands beneath his shirt, trailing them across his back and stomach. Hyde would have loved to get lost in the kiss, but they had to be aware of their surroundings. 

Just then, Hyde heard the door to the basement open. He and Jackie jumped away from each other. Hyde turned on the TV and sat in his chair, trying to look casual. Forman came down the stairs and turned the TV off. 

“We were watching that,” Hyde said, though he didn't really care. He didn't even know what show it was. 

“Whatever, man. You didn't have your heart broken recently,” Forman said bitterly. 

“You have been just a delight to be around these past few weeks, Forman.”

“I know.” 

Forman grabbed one of his Johnny Cash albums and placed it on the stereo. Ring of Fire started. He sat down next to Jackie on the couch. If only he knew what Hyde had done with Jackie just seconds ago. 

_“Love is a burnin' thing... And it makes a fiery ring… Bound by wild desire… I fell into a ring of fire… I fell into a burning ring of fire… I went down, down, down… and the flames went higher… and it burns, burns, burns… the ring of fire, the ring of fire…”_

Hyde's eyes wandered to Jackie as the song played through Forman’s crappy speakers. She met his gaze, then looked away before Forman noticed. 

He really was falling for her, as much as he refused to admit it. Each day, he found himself excited for her to come over, for her to sit next to him on the couch, for her to kiss him. Every time Jackie walked into the basement, it was like fireworks went off in his stomach. Traitorous, evil fireworks. 

Hyde didn’t fall in love. He didn’t like to put himself out there, to risk being hurt. He figured that if he never expected anything, he couldn’t be disappointed. 

Jackie was changing that a little more each day. 

But she had hurt him before. He had taken a chance, brought her out on a date. He had actually enjoyed it, too. Then she had kissed him and it had been amazing. Just seconds after, Jackie Burkhart had essentially told him that he meant nothing to her. 

If Hyde was honest with himself, he had never truly gotten over her. He may have had flings with other girls, but he had liked Jackie the whole time.   
When they kissed again a few weeks ago, his feelings for her reignited. Now they were exploding all over his insides. 

Johnny Cash was right. Love was a burning ring of fire and Hyde was getting scorched. He had fallen so far into Jackie's ring of fire, he had no chance of ever getting out. 

"Would you stop moaning?" 

Jackie's shrill command and Forman’s self-pitying moans brought Hyde out of his thoughts. He was looking at a picture of himself and Donna, one Hyde had taken. Hyde had borrowed a camera from the Fotohut and taken a bunch of pictures of everyone. 

The one Forman held now was Donna sitting on the couch with her arm around him. She was laughing at something and Forman was smiling. Fez was lying on the floor in the background, but Forman didn’t seem to mind. 

Maybe one day he and Jackie could take pictures like that together. Hyde almost stopped breathing when that thought crossed his mind. Was he really imagining a future with Jackie? A future where they had a real relationship? 

“Dammit!” Hyde said. He stood up and stormed off to his room.

Before he closed the door, he heard Eric say, “What did I do?” 

Hyde paced for a minute, gathering his thoughts. He loved Jackie. He was freaking in love with Jackie Burkhart. Okay. He could deal with that. He had years of practice with hiding his feelings. He couldn't break off whatever they'd been doing the past few weeks. She needed him. 

Hyde took a few deep breaths. Then he grabbed his stash and went back out to the basement. Forman stared at him with raised eyebrows. 

"I'm sorry for whatever I did," he said. He didn't sound sorry. 

"No you're not," Jackie said. 

"You didn't do anything. I think I have heat stroke or something." Hyde raised the stash. "You up for a circle?" 

"Hell yeah," Forman said, sitting upright on the couch. 

"Sure," Jackie said, pulling over the lawn chair. 

Hyde sat down and soon his feelings were replaced by a soothing calm. 

~

Hyde was sitting on the couch, boots popped up on the table. Forman was either asleep or in the bathroom. Fez was busy all day with some church event his host parents were dragging him to. It would be just him and Jackie today. 

The door to the basement opened and Jackie walked in. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she was wearing a flowy sundress. She was beautiful. 

She sat down on the couch next to him, placing her purse on the side table. He watched out of the corner of his eye as her gaze raked over his body. He'd worn a button down shirt and a vest today, the sleeves of the button down rolled up. 

"You look foxy today," Jackie said. 

"I know," Hyde replied. 

Jackie licked her lips and leaned in. He met her for a heated kiss. The traitorous, evil fireworks ignited in his chest, exploding all over his heart. As he deepened the kiss, Johnny Cash's words refreshed in his brain: _I went down, down, down… and the flames went higher… and it burns, burns, burns…_

He was going down, all right. Steven Hyde was hurtling down into the burning ring of fire that was love. And he was sure to get scorched. 

~

"I think it's a real waste because I love you!" 

Jackie's words sent sparks through all his nerves. Unshed tears made her eyes glisten in the light of the basement. Hyde stood still as a statue. He'd been waiting for her to say those words for a while now. But he wasn't sure if he could say them back. 

He'd loved Jackie for a little over six months now. He'd burned himself in the ring of fire for _six damn months_. Jackie's recent actions had hurt like hell. 

"I'm not saying it back," Hyde said. 

"I don't care," Jackie said. 

Dammit. Hyde took a deep breath, centering his emotions. "So, are we going to the dance or what?" 

Relief washed over Jackie's face. "Oh, Steven…" She crossed over to him and kissed him softly. He hugged her. Once he was sure she had no more feelings for Kelso, he'd tell her he loved her. For now, he could just try to show her. 

~

Jackie looked beautiful in the dress she'd picked out for the dance. Hyde hadn't bothered to put on a suit, instead opting for a button-down and jean jacket. They walked into the dance together, immediately going to the dance floor. Elton John's _Tiny Dancer_ was playing. 

Hyde held Jackie close as they danced together. Ever since she'd said 'I love you,' those three words had been threatening to spill out of his mouth. He wanted to tell her he loved her so badly. He'd wanted to tell her for half a year. 

He was over the 'get off my boyfriend' thing. Jackie really couldn't be held accountable for what she said. And she had chosen him over Kelso. That was enough for Hyde. 

Hyde leaned close to Jackie, so his mouth was by her ear. Then he said quietly, "Jackie, I love you." 

Jackie pulled back to look at him. Hyde took off his sunglasses and put them in his jacket pocket so she could see he was being sincere. Fresh tears gathered in her eyes. 

"I love you too," Jackie said. 

She kissed him, offering the fullness of her mouth. This time, when those fireworks went off in his chest, they weren't traitorous or evil. They were right where they belonged. 

Hyde would keep falling down the ring of fire, but it would burn less now that Jackie loved him back.

**Author's Note:**

> fic #1 written for my [numbered draft game](https://springsteenicious.tumblr.com/post/628695982811627520/springsteenicious-i-have-22-unfinished-drafts-of)


End file.
